Chapter 20 Discussing this matter before His Majesty

Ji Qingwu's skirt was shaken so badly that it flew up, and just listening to the sound made her knees ache for Zizhu.

"Fifth Miss, please save me! I don't want to be sold! Please, have pity on me, please..."

Lu Juan tensed his chin as he looked at Ji Qingrong, who in turn gazed at her fifth sister.

It seems this matter will have to be decided by Ji Qingwu.

Zizhu grabbed her skirt as if she were clutching a lifeline.

Madam Cui had a string of Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist. She twirled them and sighed, "It's obvious at a glance that Fifth Miss is a kind-hearted person. This girl's fate depends on your decision."

Hearing the pitiful cries and the words of the old lady pleading for mercy.

Ji Qingwu's gaze grew even colder as she pulled her clothes back.

"You're pitiful, but isn't my older sister pitiful too!"

If this soup hadn't been discovered by her at lunchtime, what kind of torment would Ji Qingrong have suffered for the rest of her life?

That heartless old lady and her servants are not worthy of her sympathy at all.

The implied meaning was immediately apparent to any intelligent person.

Lu Juan, who had already stood up, sat back down, narrowed his eyes, and asked, "What grievance did Qingrong suffer that she had to go through Fifth Sister to tell you?"

That's a good question! This is a huge injustice!

Ji Qingwu bent down, approached Zizhu, and asked, "I'm asking you, did you know that there was a potent drug in the soup you brought over at noon?"

Zizhu's face turned deathly pale, and she shook her head violently, "I, I don't know, I don't know, this servant really doesn't know."

How could Ji Qingwu believe her? She continued, "In the past three years, you've added Sanguisorba officinalis to the thousands of bowls of soup you've sent. If you didn't know, then the Grand Madam must have!"

All of Cui's meticulous scheming over the years was suddenly revealed by Ji Wu.

She could no longer hold the prayer beads; the string of beads fell to the ground, the cord broke, and the sandalwood beads scattered all over the floor.

Seeing their reactions, Lu Juan's heart sank, and he said with a deep gaze, "Fifth Sister, please explain in detail."

Ji Qingwu clearly explained the fundamental reason why her elder sister had not conceived for so many years.

However, the contraceptive pills were omitted, and only the problem with the soup was mentioned.

Even if Lu Juan was calm and collected, he never expected that his mother would do such a thing, and with such insidious means.

He sent over a trusted confidant, his tone unchanged.

"Go search."

Half an incense stick's time has passed.

A trusted confidant entered, carrying several medicine packets in his hands, and also brought in a cook.

Lu Juan had worked at the Dali Temple, and his subordinates were all skilled interrogators.

He looked over and said, "We have both witnesses and physical evidence. Mother, do you have anything to say?"

Cui remained silent.

At this point, nothing she said would make a difference. She knew her son's abilities; he could even pry the truth out of a dead man. She didn't want her servants to suffer any more.

That means they've accepted it.

"You can go down first," Lu Juan said calmly.

Ji Qingwu quietly walked to the last chair and sat down.

The rest are all domestic affairs of the Marquis of Zhongyong's household, and her brother-in-law is a sensible person, so she shouldn't interfere anymore.

Ji Qingrong's emotions were in turmoil. She was surprised that her husband did not show any favoritism towards his mother-in-law and stood on her side. She was also surprised that he had found all the evidence against his mother-in-law so quickly and was so forceful that she could not refute it.

If she had known it would be this easy, she wouldn't have endured it so much.

Ji Qingrong looked at Lu Juan with a more tender gaze, and her heart was filled with sweetness.

When Cui was publicly humiliated and lost face, she seemed to age instantly.

She said dejectedly, "Ziyou, don't you know how much I meant to do this?"

Lu Juan looked back at her and said sarcastically, "You went to great lengths to make Qingrong childless, so that I would have no descendants?"

“I am your mother, how could I let you really have no children?” Cui said excitedly, “The concubine I chose for you is a fallen lady from a noble family. Apart from her family background, she is no worse than Ji Qingrong in any way. If she can’t have children, there are other women who can.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Qingwu frowned and pursed his lips.

Cui was a married woman and should have known the difficulties faced by women in the inner quarters, yet women insisted on making things difficult for other women.

Ji Qingrong coldly watched her mother-in-law. If her plan succeeded, and she was still childless in a few years, wouldn't the principal wife, who couldn't give birth to any children, be forced to accept the concubine giving birth to a child, and then be at the mercy of Cui Shi?

She gritted her teeth and said, "Mother-in-law, what a brilliant plan."

Cui and her son could still speak calmly, but as soon as Ji Qingrong said a sentence, she seemed unable to bear it.

He said bitterly, "The women of the Ji family are not worthy of giving birth to the legitimate son of the Marquis's mansion!"

There were two women from the Ji family present.

They looked at each other, their large eyes filled with the same confusion. When had the Ji family ever offended the Cui family?

From the words of the Dowager Lady, Ji Qingwu sensed that the women of the Ji family were like Daji, bringing ruin to the country.

If Cui had opposed the marriage, she could have prevented Ji Qingrong from entering the family. Given Lu Juan's status, position, and handsome appearance, most of the noble ladies in Lin'an would have been willing to marry him.

Lu Juan's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Mother, Qingrong is my wife, whom I personally visited the Ji family with formalities and gifts. She is already a member of the Lu family!"

Upon hearing his words, Cui clutched her chest and gasped for breath, clearly quite angry.

She spat out, "How could she possibly be worthy!"

When Cui's eldest sister married into the former Yong'an Marquis's household, she died of illness at a young age. However, before her sister's body was even cold, Yong'an Marquis Zhao Shichang hurriedly married his new wife, Ji.

Now, Ji Fangmin has ascended to the throne of Empress Dowager, second only to the emperor, and has taken away the glory that should have belonged to her Cui clan.

Madam Cui harbored deep hatred for the Ji family; her eyes were filled with undisguised resentment.

"Ziyou, do you still remember what you said to me back then?"

Lu Juan's expression hardened, and he wanted to stop Cui from continuing.

But the emotions that Cui had hidden for many years were like a beast breaking free of its cage.

“Three years ago, you came home late, covered in snow, and told me you wanted to marry the eldest daughter of the Ji family. I disagreed, but then you said that if Ji Qingrong married another noble family, the Ji family’s power would grow stronger and stronger, threatening the imperial power. You wanted to marry her so that the Ji family’s power would stop expanding.”

Cui shouted, "You said it yourself, that you would marry her not out of love, but for the greater good!"

Lu Juan's back stiffened, and he immediately turned to look at Ji Qingrong's expression.

Ji Qingrong felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

This was even harder for her to accept than her mother-in-law giving her dangerous drugs.

Just now, she was deeply moved by her husband's protective actions, but now that her mother-in-law is saying this, who can she trust?

Ji Qingrong's mind was in complete chaos, and she lost her composure. Like a lost soul, she turned to look for her fifth sister.

Ji Qingwu put his arm around his elder sister and looked at the two of them, saying, "Since the Grand Madam thinks that women from the Ji family are not worthy of being the heir's wife, then I will take my elder sister home today."

Lu Juan said with a dark expression, "Fifth Sister, this is a family matter of the Marquis's mansion. Qingrong is my wife."

“Young Master Lu, this matter is not merely a family affair of the Marquis’s household, but also a matter of state.”

Ji Qingwu changed her way of addressing him and stopped calling him brother-in-law.

She said firmly, "Don't forget, the Ji family is also related to the imperial family. We can petition the Emperor to discuss this matter before His Majesty and find out who is right and who is wrong!"